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FARMINGTON, N.M. (KRQE) – On May 15, Farmington dispatchers received hundreds of calls about an active shooter. Their quiet neighborhood was under attack. One caller said, “I’ve heard at least 50 rounds here! Somebody’s going nuts!”
Callers begging police to hurry while taking cover in homes. More than 200 calls came in as police say 18-year-old Beau Wilson was relentlessly shooting at people driving by his home. Another caller told dispatchers, “Sounds like maybe an AK or an AR-15 and it’s still going on.” Others described what the suspect looked like. “There’s a guy walking that has black pants and a black shirt on and a gun and he’s just randomly shooting.”
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Amid the chaos, citizens were helping direct traffic away from gunfire. At one point, the shooter’s own mother made a call to police. “I have a son that’s been very very depressed and I’m driving over there. I’m just wondering if you could give me any information,” she said.
There were non-stop panicked calls, but dispatchers remained calm. During his violent rampage, Wilson killed three elderly women, Shirley Voita, Melody Ivie, and Gwendolyn Schofield. Six other people were injured. One victim drove through the ambush to pick up her grandchild from school. “Her vehicle has been shot several times. She has wounds on her hand and she needs medical attention,” one person reported.
Another victim shot in the head was taken to the ER by his daughter. She told a dispatcher, “I’m actually at the hospital right now, but I just wanted to let you guys know my Dad got shot. I dropped him off at the ER but he got shot.”
8 minutes after that first 911 call, police closed in on the gunman, killing him. According to police, Wilson had more than 1,400 rounds of ammunition at his home. He fired 141 AR rounds just from his front porch.
Police say on the day of the mass shooting Wilson was prepared with body armor and a note. They say Wilson bought three magazines for the AR-15 two days before the shooting.
